‘Thanks! What Is It?’

We’ve visited 21 lesser-known attractions since launching Sites Unseen in August. Burning money (or just window-shopping) at the gift shops post-tour is now a tradition, or maybe a compulsion. Behold, our favorite buys.

Hobo Signals Mug
The winner of our first-ever Sites Unseen Gift Awards (the Siteys, for short) is the National Cryptologic Museum’s hobo signals mug ($8.50 for black, $12.50 for white).

Big-Ticket Items
Burial plots at Congressional Cemetery are available for $3,000 to $4,500. Homes in the historic district of Greenbelt, Md., can be had for less than $100,000 (excluding co-op fees, Greenbelthomes.net).

Rifle Pen
The most ubiquitous souvenir encountered in our travels was this rifle-shaped pen, usually about $2. The NRA National Firearms Museum has them.

Speed of Light Road Sign
Those subatomic particles observed traveling faster than light this year are due for some speeding tickets. $12.95 at Goddard Space Flight Center.

American Heritage Chocolate
A brick of this semi-sweet substance, which hews to a 17th-century recipe, goes for $10 at the Maryland Historical Society.

St. Joseph Homeseller’s Kit
We bought this for $7.50 at the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land to help sell a condo. An offer followed a few months later. We have no further comment.